Jesus’ work of redemption did not cease at Calvary. 1 Jn. 2:1 says that He intercedes with the Father for us. Every time we have been tempted and succumbed, He says to the Father, “I understand and I have died for them, and I pray for them”. O, Jesus knows the pain of sin and the temptations thereof, and He still loves us. What an awesome truth. Being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, Jesus is like us in every way except one – He didn’t have a sin nature. We have a sin nature. I think our nature was affected by Adam, that is what Rom 5:12 does say. Man is basically evil, and unless Jesus changes the very essence of man, our hearts are evil continuously. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on a cross (cf. Phil. 2:8). Deut. 21:23 intimates His manner of death when it says, “…cursed is the one who has been hanged on a tree…”. I think the reason why the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus crucified and not stoned is because they wanted this Old Testament curse to fall on Him. They reckoned that, Jesus claims to be the Messiah, if they could get God to curse Him, it will prove He’s not the Messiah. Hardly did they know this is exactly the plan of God even from eternity past. Jesus said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve and give my life a ransom for many” (i.e. Mark 10:45). Jesus came to die. Jesus came to take the curse (cf. Gal 3:13). He took that which was against us and nailed it to the cross (cf. Col. 2). What was that which was against us? The Old Testament says, “The soul that sins, it will die”. Everyone of us deserves to die. The Word of God is a death sentence over every one of our heads, and Jesus came and took that curse; that death sentence, and bore it on Calvary for us. He really did take our place. He really became one of us for the specific task of being the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Do you know Jesus? Do you know Him?